Find the Right Car Accident Attorneys

Car accidents are, by far, the most common cause of serious injury and death by non-natural causes in the United Sates. Car accidents are also one of the most common preventable causes of death in the world (lagging only behind deaths caused by tobacco smoking, obesity, and alcoholism).

Because they're the most common cause of severe injury in the United States, car accidents are also one of the most common causes of personal injury lawsuits. In virtually every car accident that causes a personal injury, or significant property damage, a lawsuit and/or insurance claim are going to be involved. In general, if a driver is at fault in causing a car accident, they will be liable for whatever injuries and property damage result. Typically, this is handled through a claim with their insurance company.

Finding the Right Car Accident Attorneys

Every state requires drivers to obtain car insurance, for the primary purpose of covering liability that might arise because of an accident. Some states even allow the victims of car accidents to sue the other driver's insurance company directly, since that's who will be paying any settlement or jury award, anyway. Read more.

Consequences of a Fatality

If a car accident results in a fatality, the family of the victim has the option of suing whoever caused the accident for wrongful death. A wrongful death lawsuit can usually only be brought by an immediate family member of the decedent (the person who died), including a parent, child, spouse, or domestic partner (in states that recognize such relationships). They can recover both economic losses, typically in the form of lost income, as well as emotional harm, such as lost companionship.

If the victim survives, but is injured, they have the right to sue for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other quantifiable harm resulting from the accident.

In general, the standard for determining if sufficient fault exists to hold a driver liable for a car accident is negligence. Basically, this means that if the driver was not exercising "reasonable care," and their failure to do so causes an accident, they are liable for the resulting harm.

There are quite a few things in this context that obviously constitute negligence, such as driving above the speed limit, running a red light or stop sign, disobeying posted traffic rules and, of course, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If a driver is doing any of these things, and causes an accident, there's virtually no question that they will be liable.

However, there are many, many other situations where someone is at fault for causing an accident, but the fault is not nearly as obvious as in the situations discussed above. For that reason, if you're in a car accident, you should not hesitate to contact a car accident attorney, who can advise you of your legal rights and responsibilities.